In a settlement announced on Tuesday, District Dogs, a well-known dog daycare, and boarding company has agreed to pay $100,000 to the District and will make safety improvements after a catastrophic flood claimed the lives of 10 dogs last year. The Rhode Island Avenue location of the facility will also remain permanently closed as part of the agreement. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has mandated that District Dogs obtain risk management certification for each of its D.C. locations, as well as develop and train staff on detailed emergency response and evacuation plans, according to FOX 5 DC.
Following the tragedy on August 14, 2023, the investigation by the Attorney General’s Office found that District Dogs had misled customers regarding the risks at the Rhode Island Avenue facility, despite prior flooding incidents. The company had failed to put in place appropriate emergency procedures, including an evacuation plan. As part of the settlement, District Dogs stated that there is no admission of wrongdoing by the company, a fact they emphasized in a statement obtained by DC News Now. However, this has been contested by the Attorney General’s Office.
Jocelyn Lobos-Segura, whose dog Mona was one of the victims, expressed her disappointment with the outcome, noting, "It would have been nice to see a portion of that money or even invest that money into something to support other pet owners that need it in the District," as she told DC News Now. She and other pet owners are currently involved in ongoing litigation against District Dogs, seeking additional financial remedies for what they allege as gross negligence.
The settlement does not provide direct compensation to the owners of the dogs that were lost. Instead, the $100,000 payment is described as a civil penalty, the allocation of which is at the discretion of the Office of the Attorney General. The private lawsuit filed by some pet owners is still ongoing and names District Dogs Inc. and its founder Jacob Hensley as defendants. The complaint describes the dogs' deaths as foreseeable and preventable, as reported by WUSA9.
Despite these legal challenges, District Dogs remains operational in other D.C. neighborhoods, including locations in Shaw, Navy Yard, Park View, and Walter Reed. With the new safety protocols and emergency measures mandated by the settlement to be implemented across its facilities.
